


Lost Time

by shutterbug



Category: Ripper Street
Genre: Gift Giving, Intimacy, M/M, One Shot, Presents, Sentimental
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-10-06 12:21:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17345132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shutterbug/pseuds/shutterbug
Summary: Jackson surprises Edmund with a gift.Feedback is love.





	Lost Time

“Reid.” 

Edmund turned where he stood at his desk, surprised. His eyes landed on Jackson, who leaned in his office doorway. 

“Jackson.” 

Jackson bowed his head. His hand dived into his pocket. “Uh, look, I’m not going to beat about the bush, Reid.” 

“No?” Edmund smirked. When he continued, he interjected as much sarcasm into his voice as he could muster. “I would have marked you an expert in that very pastime, Captain.” 

Jackson lowered his chin and peered at him with a weary expression. “Ha. Ha. Funny, Reid.” He stepped forward and braced himself on the back of the chair. “I noticed you’ve been missin’ somethin’ of late.” 

“Have you?” 

“Yeah.” No jibes. No quips. Just ‘yeah,’ muttered with a frown. 

Edmund’s eyebrows drew close to one another. His jaw slackened and his shoulders dropped when Jackson removed his hand from his pocket and produced a polished watch. Edmund held his hand out as if to stop him. “No, Jackson, there’s no need to—”

“You’ll take it and you’ll be quiet about it.” 

He took it. He stayed quiet. His eyes scanned it, first the outside—shiny, golden, smooth—then the inside. Roman numerals around its beautiful, iridescent mother-of-pearl face. The cover’s interior bore a neat, simple inscription. 

“I know you like to…” Jackson pointed. “Most of your possessions seem to have your initials on ‘em, so…” 

Edmund nodded, short and quick. He shut the watch and slipped it into his waistcoat pocket, comforted by its familiar weight. His previous watch had been stolen—an embarrassment as well as a personal loss, for it had been a present from his father while he had still lived. A gift to celebrate his enlistment in the police force. He had told his father that he couldn’t wear it with his uniform; his father hadn’t cared. “You’re a man now,” he’d said. “Making something of yourself. You ought to have one.” Like Jackson, he had engraved Edmund’s initials inside the cover. 

He watched as Jackson about-faced and headed toward the door, then he found his feet and chased Jackson to the threshold. “Jackson, I—” He hooked him by the elbow and pulled him to a stop. 

Jackson spun around—nearly  _ into  _ him. Jackson’s face encompassed his entire field of vision. Edmund stared at him, swallowed, tried to speak and failed. 

Then his eyes fluttered closed as Jackson traced the trim of his waistcoat and laid his palm over the watch now in his pocket. With his other hand, Jackson covered Edmund’s heart. 

“No need to thank me, Reid. I know a family heirloom when I see one.” Jackson patted Edmund’s chest, then took his hands away. With a small smile, he turned and, this time, made his way out the door. “It was the least I could do.” 

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: apparently the real Edmund Reid engraved or inscribed his initials on practically everything. So, between that and my general love of watches, this happened.


End file.
